Phil Christie was the leader of the New Sons of Liberty, an anti-government militia, as well as a robber and murderer.
History[]
Christie was a former court clerk from Hastings, New York, who, at some point in his life, became extremely paranoid over escalating government control and the "new world order". This was possibly contributed by the fact that he was denied custody of his son when he divorced from his wife. He eventually formed a militia group with nineteen other middle-class men who shared his beliefs, calling themselves the "New Sons of Liberty". Members of the group included Christie's brother-in-law Matthew Brant, Sr., and the latter's son Matthew Brant, Jr.
Christie, Brant, Sr., and another New Sons member named Greg Kubie concocted a plan to rob an armored car in New York City. They donned bulletproof gear, handmade ammunitions, and submachine guns, but the heist went awry when they engaged in a shootout with the security guards. Brant, Sr. was gunned down while Kubie was left severely wounded. Christie ended up killing one of the guards and managed to flee. When the group was eventually uncovered by detectives Briscoe and Curtis, all of the remaining members were arrested and indicted on robbery, murder, and conspiracy charges.
The subsequent trial was marked by Christie's ludicrous requests that the group be tried as prisoners of war and that the U.S. President be called to the stand along with the directors of the CIA and NSA, as well as the New Sons members' interruptions of cross-examinations. In the end, the jury deadlocked due to the fact that a juror was sympathetic with the defendants' beliefs. Despite this, EADA Jack McCoy announced a retrial. However, the ultimate fate of Christie and the group remains unknown. (L&O: "Nullification")